To work or not to work? That is the question...

Hello World! Its been a gorgeous start to the week, with nothing but sun and warmth.
Definitely no "case of the Mundays" here.
I get a lot of questions from people about how I manage to support myself so that I can create and lead this lifestyle. I like to use the answer "I'm just Neo, the one, and I've figured out the system." Obviously, that is just a ridiculous answer, but there is some truth to it.

First off, Employment Insurance is a wonderful thing, IF you ever qualify for it. I finally did, and it's great! I have more money not working than I ever did killing myself putting in 40+ hours per week. How? Think about how much money you spend on a daily basis getting to and from work, buying meals, snacks, drinks after work with co-workers. Add that all up and the average person spends at least 25-30% of their income, just so that they can work. Makes you reconsider those Tim Horton's coffee's and gas station stops everyday, Huh?

Obviously, EI is not a permanent solution, however it allows the flexibility and time needed for me to drastically redesign a lifestyle all my own. After all, I've been paying into the system for years, why not cash in temporarily until I start my next job?

Wearing the Sensor Net wasn't bad at all!

Another way of getting by is using my brain. Literally. From time to time I take part in research studies that pay cash and take little time or effort. These studies can be anything from Ad/Market research, to anxiety studies, to measuring my brainwaves. They are taking place everywhere all of the time, (McMaster, St. Joseph's, U of T, etc.) and you just need to know where to look for them. They never require actual 'work', pay better than minimum wage, and are usually even fun!

The last study I did was a week ago down at the McMaster Psychology building. All it entailed was sitting completely still in a room, surrounded by speakers, with a brainwave sensor net on my head, while I watched TV on mute with subtitles. They were testing how my brainwaves react to 'blips' and 'beeps' from the speakers, while I was focusing on the TV. I could watch anything and chose Seinfeld, because I would've been sitting at home watching it on the Comedy Channel anyways. Except this way I was getting paid! Not a bad way to spend an afternoon.

Finally, selling off 90% of your things can make you a surprising amount of money. You would be amazed at how much STUFF you have spent and/or wasted money on. Kijiji is the best for this kind of thing. You can list and sell anything! Whatever I can't sell to friends or online, goes to the pawnshop, because if I don't need it, it's worth more as money in my pocket than sitting in a box.

This week is going to be a fun one. Wednesday I'm going to Toronto with my friend/housemate Brady for the day. I got free tickets to see a live taping of The Strombo Show with George Stroumboulopoulos at the CBC building. The special guests are Dr Sanjay Gupta and Ken Finkleman, which will be awesome and inspiring to see. After that we will head to the ACC to see the Philadelphia 76ers vs the Toronto Raptors, which I also have free tickets for. Should be an awesome day!

Catch you on the flipside,
C.Stemp.Run